Wine Advisor
Quinta do Noval, Vintage Port 2011
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2011 Quinta do Noval has wonderful precision on the nose with blackberry, cassis, intriguing flinty notes and a whiff of smoke. It might not possess the power of the Nacional but it has freshness to spare. That comes through on the beautifully composed palate, which is underpinned by fine tannins that lend it a silky smooth mouthfeel. There is real intensity here, but it is very controlled with superb minerality on the finish. Excellent. Tasted May 2013. Importer: Vintus Wines, Pleasantville, NY; tel. (914) 769-3000
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2011 Quinta do Noval Vintage has a very intense, very refined bouquet with quite broody black fruit, briary, smoke and mineral. This is very fresh, similar to the barrel sample last April. The palate is silky smooth on the entry with well-judged acidity. This is utterly harmonious and refined, effortless even, with a pure blackberry and lightly spiced finish that lingers long in the mouth. This is an outstanding Noval that is only surpassed by the 2000, a Noval that does not deserve to be over-shadowed by its Nacional sibling. Drink 2018-2040. Tasted January 2014.
Reviewed by: Mark Squires
The 2011 Vintage Port is a blend of 60& Touriga Nacional, 30% Touriga Francesa and 10% Tinto Cão, all aged for 18 months in wood. It comes in at 101.2 grams per liter of residual sugar. It opens with understatement, but that doesn't last long. Showing pure power on the finish, this otherwise elegant Noval (especially refined in the mid-palate) shows itself to be in fine form as it airs out. Pointed, graceful and a bit drying, this is built for the long haul. It's a Port you need to cellar. It will one day gain complexity, open more fully and become more interesting. That day is not today, although if you air it out long enough, the fine fruit and flavor eventually come through. By the end of the week, this was actually possible to drink, although even then, as it sat in the glass, it became tighter and slightly astringent--showing off its power and intensity. Its firmness and underlying concentration are beautifully matched by the fruit, though. The balance is impeccable. If you have some old school patience, snap this up by the case. It may be accessible younger than I suggest, but this is a Port that should be put away for a couple of decades, or more, for best results.
Reviewed by: Mark Squires
The 2011 Vintage Port hasn't been seen in a while. It begins our mini-vertical this issue. Showing rich and gorgeous fruit, this is pure, young and elegant. There is still plenty of power here, but decanting a small portion for about three hours gave me some hope that it would be approachable a bit sooner than anticipated. Noval has mid-palate finesse all the time—so, too, here. It makes this very graceful, despite the power and the first lush impression. The pure power does not detract from the feeling of elegance at all, as this comes together well. Dried herbs, eucalyptus and a long finish make this special, the complexity on the finish sealing the deal. This is early in this wine's evolution, but it is beginning to open its eyes and peek out at the world.
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
The 2011 Vintage Port is very complete on the nose, focused and full of energy, with touches of grilled walnut and sage filtering through the black fruit, quite earthy in style (more than I remember.) The palate is very classy and complex with black fruit, sage, black pepper and an endearing, slightly powdery texture towards the finish. This has shed some of its puppy fat - a bit more serious now and worth cellaring for another three to four years. Tasted at the Quinta do Noval tasting at Spring restaurant in London.
About the Producer
Quinta do Noval is one of the oldest and leading wineries producing Port wine. Among the top port producers, Bird Park is even more distinguished by the fact that its grapes are picked from a single vineyard. Notably, the winery is known for producing Portugal’s best port wine, “Nacional”, a blend from a single vineyard of old vines in the domestic Touriga Nacional. Likewise, the winery also produces high-quality dry red wines from Portugal, the most anticipated wines from the Douro region, showing unparalleled depth and concentration, as well as rich fruit and spice. trait. "Douro" means gold and gold in Portuguese, so the Douro River is also called the Golden River Valley. The Bird Park is located in Pinhao Village, the most central part of the Douro River region. The winery now has about 247 acres of vineyards. The Bird Park was created in 1715, originally owned and operated by the Rebello Valente family for over a century, and passed on to Viscount Vilar D'Allen by marriage in the early 19th century , a man with a passion for wild dances. In the 1880s, due to phylloxera damage, like other local wineries, Bird Garden was also for sale. In 1894, it was sold to Antonio Jose da Silva, a famous local businessman, who replanted the grape The estate was reborn, and his son-in-law, Luiz Vasconcelos Porto, took over the management and has been managing the winery for nearly 30 years. Louis vigorously carried out reforms, widening the width of the terraces, increasing the light and the convenience of field operations, which is a great reform even by today's technical standards, and promoted the winery with the help of Cambridge, Oxford and other clubs to enhance the reputation of the winery. Bird Garden's reputation continued to improve, and the 1931 vintage was an iconic one. Due to the world economic downturn at the time, orders for Port wine fell sharply. During the year, only three wine merchants continued to operate. Bird Garden was the The only Portuguese producer at the time with continuous exports to the Anglo-American market.
